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SPICY SWEET POTATO AND BACON CASSEROLE

My family has always had a love/hate relationship with the traditional marshmallow-topped sweet potato casserole. While the men in the family loved it, we ladies wanted something a bit less sweet. My husband, bucking trend, sided with the ladies. So I decided to make a casserole that was a bit more on the savory side, while still retaining the potato's inherent sweetness. Borrowing Bobby Flay's addition of chipotle to his sweet potato gratin, I gilded the lily by adding bacon, too, and a crunchy almond streusel.

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Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F. Scrub potatoes and prick them all over with a fork. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Let cool.
While potatoes are cooling, cook bacon until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Discard all but one tablespoon of bacon fat from skillet and add yellow onion and a pinch of salt. Make sure to scrape up the bits of bacony goodness that remain on the bottom of the pan while you're cooking the onion. Once onion is soft and lightly golden brown, remove from heat.
Remove potato pulp from skins and place in large bowl. Mash potatoes with melted butter and heavy cream. Add chipotle and paprika and stir well. Chop bacon coarsely and add to potatoes along with cooked onion and raw scallions. Salt and pepper to taste.
Make streusel by combining flour, brown sugar, and chipotle with melted butter, mixing with a fork until all four is incorporated and mixture is crumbly. Stir in almond slices.
Spread sweet potato mixture into a 13 x 9 baking pan; top with streusel and bake at 350F until brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.